June is here, and with it comes that most quintessentially British of rituals. Determined and entirely unfounded optimism that this will be the summer. The jumpers are packed away. The sandals have been retrieved from the back of the wardrobe. And linen, glorious linen, has been called back into service.
The wonderful thing about linen is that it doesn’t need the sun to justify it. It is, of all the fabrics, effortless by nature, improved by wear, and entirely unbothered by the odd grey sky. That gentle crumple is not a flaw. It is, as anyone who has ever worn it properly will tell you, entirely the point. Linen is the fabric of people who have somewhere better to be.
For both men and women, a handful of well-chosen linen pieces is all a summer wardrobe truly needs. A shirt that works as hard at a wedding as it does at a picnic. A trouser that moves beautifully and asks nothing of you in return. A dress that looks as though you made absolutely no effort whatsoever, which is, of course, the greatest effort of all.
We have been looking at M&S and Massimo Dutti — reliable brilliance at one end, refined investment dressing at the other; and picking the pieces worth your attention this season.
